“If there is anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.” -Douglas Adams
Most startups tend to make the mistake of believing that their brand identity stems from their ego. They want to believe that who they are is actually the big and bright companies that they are building and tend to overlook the small, overall details that can determine their own success. This is where things tend to get a little tricky.
Most people relate branding to the visual design of a company, i.e. the logo, the colors and the style that a company tends to use. Anyone can make a company “look” good, but that is just the surface level of branding. The deeper, more relevant definition of a brand is it’s brand identity. This is the core being of a brand, and it is what determines the difference between a solid, successful company vs a quickly extinguishing startup that is all fluff and no substance.
There are only 3 words that matter in Brand Identity:
To get a deeper Brand Identity, a company can simplify itself into three words or phrases. For example, the king of this game is actually Coca-Cola. They have actually managed to simplify their brand so much that it can be paraphrased into one simple word, "Happiness". This parallel has become so ingrained into our conscious mind that when we see a red bottle of coca cola, the sound of a bottle opening and fizzingly-pouring into a glass of ice, you can't help but to smile just a little bit. You can expand this one word branding by saying that it is also “refreshing” and of course, its patent owned red Pantone 485 which has come to be known as "Coca-Cola red". Coke has done such a great job of integrating their audio visual concoctions into our brains, that you cannot help but admire the genius of it. Respect, Coke, respect...
Coca-Cola is probably the best example of this, but most of the biggest and brightest superstars out there can be simplified into three or less words. Innovative, design, and engineering describe one of the biggest companies in modern history. One that has been so dedicated to their brand identity that they even gave the name of a fruit a completely different meaning. When someone thinks of an apple, one cant help but to think of innovation, design, and engineering.
See, when broken down in to its core, brand identity is literally a combination of words that make up your entire identity. This works with people as much as it does with companies. Who is: Austrian, Muscle Builder, and Actor? Hint: "I'll be back" to this...
Once an established, simple identity is set, it is time to paint it. This is where color, logo, and branding guidelines come in. Everything from the colors you choose for your brand, to the visual message you are sending, or even the furniture you choose for your office or store should reflect and shout out your 3 words to your customers.
If you want to know more about Branding your company, or want to know how we can help, check out our services page here, or contact me directly here.
I appreciate your time, and if there is ever a topic you want me to write more in depth about always feel free to let me know!
-Ricky Chavez